Review: The Honeybee Emeralds by Amy Tector

by Joli
Published: Last Updated on
Honeybee Emeralds

What a book! Mystery, history, fame, love interests…this book was unique and exciting. Keep reading for more of my thoughts on this one!

The Summary

Alice Ahmadi has never been certain of where she belongs. When she discovers a famed emerald necklace while interning at a struggling Parisian magazine, she is plunged into a glittering world of diamonds and emeralds, courtesans and spies, and the long-buried secrets surrounding the necklace and its glamorous former owners.

When Alice realizes the mysterious Honeybee Emeralds could be her chance to save the magazine, she recruits her friends Lily and Daphne to form the “Fellowship of the Necklace.” Together, they set out to uncover the romantic history of the gems. Through diaries, letters, and investigations through the winding streets and iconic historic landmarks of Paris, the trio begins to unravel more than just the secrets of the necklace’s obsolete past. Along the way, Lily and Daphne’s relationships are challenged, tempered, and changed. Lily faces her long-standing attraction to a friend, who has achieved the writing success that eluded her. Daphne confronts her failing relationship with her husband, while also facing simmering problems in her friendship with Lily. And, at last, Alice finds her place in the world—although one mystery still remains: how did the Honeybee Emeralds go from the neck of American singer Josephine Baker during the Roaring Twenties to the basement of a Parisian magazine?

My Review

First of all, I have to talk about how unique this book is. The mystery element mixed in with the history made it something so different from other books I’ve read like this. It reminded me a little bit of The Lost Apothecary, with that kind of vibe, although definitely not as dark.

I have to admit, it did start out a little bit slow for me. I wasn’t sure I loved Alice and thought she was beyond a normal level of timid. She’s so quiet, so unsure of herself…I wasn’t sure if she was entirely realistic. She did come alive for me later in the book, though, so I was really happy to see her get more sure of herself.

This book is told from multiple points of view, and at times it almost seemed like too many. It was a little hard to keep track of what was going on with all the characters: all of their relationships, backstories, and how they related to the honeybee emeralds. This is another thing I figured out better as we got towards the middle of the book.

Beyond those couple things, this book was SO fun. I just flew through it, especially after I hit the half way point. The whole story picked up, I knew the characters better, and I was really into the fun history stuff. I was also really rooting for some of the characters and was excited when good things happened for them.

This book really did have everything. If you like historical fiction with some mystery, I definitely suggest taking a look at The Honeybee Emeralds. Overall I really liked it! I gave this 4.5 stars.

If you like the historical mystery elements of The Lost Apothecary and you think you’d like something less dark and with more humor, pick up The Honeybee Emeralds.

Related Posts

1 comment

Catherine January 25, 2022 - 3:14 pm

I heard about this novel and was so interested in it, but never got an advance copy. I’m hoping my library orders it because your review has me even more intrigued!

Reply

Leave a Comment